Absolute Power
by Blu Taiger
Summary: Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Tom Riddle had heard these words before, and he did not believe the message they carried.


'Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Though the man who first spoke those words may have been forgotten through the annals of history, the words themselves ring true.

Tom Riddle had heard these words before, and he did not believe the message they carried. Power existed to be used; so those who were ambitious, those who were special, could wield it.

Tom was special, he always knew he was. From as far back as he could remember, he had always been able to do things – things the other children in the orphanage could never dream of doing. And he knew that one day, these special skills of his would lead him to great and glorious achievements.

_I can ride my bike with no handlebars  
No handlebars  
No handlebars  
I can ride my bike with no handlebars  
No handlebars  
No handlebars_

Look at me Look at me  
Hands in the air like its good to be  
Alive and I'm a famous rapper  
Even when the paths are all crookedy

Then that 'professor', he called himself came to the orphanage. Dumbledore, he said he was, and he had come to reveal to Tom the truth of his special skills. It was magic! He, Tom Riddle, had been controlling magic! Dumbledore revealed that he was a wizard, and that he was to come to his school where he would be taught to harness his power.

Tom was overjoyed! All his life he had known he was above the ordinary, that he was more than a mere human, that he was beyond all those insufferable fools he had to deal with everyday. In his glee, he expressed his joy to Dumbledore, telling him of every special ability he had been able to control. He told him about the how he could strike back at those who had hurt him, how he could get things he wanted, how he could talk to snakes...

_  
I can show you how to dosey doe  
I can show you how to scratch a record  
I can take apart the remote control  
And I can almost put it back together_

Then the time came when he arrived at the school – Hogwarts – to maximize his magical abilities.

He was astonished to learn that there were students at the school who hadn't come from wizarding families – students who were descendants of muggle swine. What were they doing in a school of magic? They had no business being there, as far as Tom was concerned, they had no right to exist in this world. He resolved early on that he would rectify that problem.

Aside from the plague of muggles that infected the halls, Tom enjoyed his stay at Hogwarts – it had been more of a home to him than any place he had ever been. He was loved and admired by students and teachers alike, many of whom began to follow his lead, becoming a following of sorts. Whatever task he was put to, he excelled at. He mastered it all remarkably fast; transfigurations, charms, potions, dueling – he was exceptional at dueling.

_  
I can tie a knot in a cherry stem  
I can tell you about Leif Ericson  
I know all the words to De Colores  
And I'm proud to be an American  
Me and my friends saw a platypus  
Me and my friends made a comic book  
And guess how long it took_

And through all his achievements, all his success, one thought seeped into his mindset and dominated his thinking.

_  
I can do anything that I want 'Cause Look_

I can keep rhythm with no metronome  
No metronome  
No metronome  
And I can see you face on the telephone  
On the telephone  
On the telephone

After graduation, he put into action the plan he had devised long ago. While some aspects of his ingenious design were ready to be implemented, others would take time to be established. While he waited, he decided that obtaining a job was in order so to not draw attention of suspicious minds.

It seemed natural to him that he return to the one place he could ever identify as home. So he made his way to Hogwarts to meet with headmaster Dippet and discuss acquiring a career as a teacher. __

Look at me look at me  
Just called to say that its good to be  
Alive in such a small world  
I'm all curled up with a book to read

Professor Dippet was, of course, impressed with Tom's many accomplishments. However, he denied Tom's request, informing the young man that he was too young to be teaching. He advised him to gain some experience working in the world and to come back in a few years. Then he would gladly consider Tom for the position he had requested.

Many thought Tom would gravitate toward the field of politics. There were few who would deny that he could quickly rise to the position of Minister of Magic. However, Tom's plan didn't involve that... just yet. It came as a surprise to many, then, when Tom Riddle, who had such high potential, ended up working in a shop – a mere shop!

_  
I can make money open up a thrift store  
I can make a living off a magazine  
I can design an engine  
Sixty four miles to the gallon on gasoline_

It didn't matter to Tom what the others thought of his decision, this was where he needed to be. The store, Borgan and Burkes, dealt with ancient and dark artifacts – items necessary for his plans.

_  
I can make new antibiotics  
I can make computer survive aquatic Conditions I know how to run the business_

When he deemed the time was right, Tom began gathering followers, the Death Eaters, he dubbed them. Individuals who shared his beliefs about the filth of muggle-borns and the superiority of wizard-kind. It took little effort on his part to persuade them to do his will.

_  
And I can make you wanna buy a product  
Movers shakers and producers  
Me and my friends understand the future  
I see the strings that control the systems  
I can do anything with no assistance _

When the world least expected it, they struck! The Death Eaters made a devastating first wave against those muggle-born plagues, those mudbloods who usurped magic from those to whom it rightfully belonged. And for miles around, people spoke in fear of those Death Eaters and above all, of their master, Tom Riddle. Only, it wasn't Tom Riddle, no he had been destroyed long ago. And in his place stood the man who would one day rule the world, the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

_'Cause I can lead a nation with a microphone  
With a microphone  
With a microphone  
And I can split the atoms of a molecule  
Of a molecule  
Of a molecule_

All was going according to plan. Every wizard in the Brittan feared and respected the mighty Voldemort. He had accumulated vast amounts of power and soon all the world would bend to him.

But then, a threat. Word reached his ear of a prophesy foretelling of one who could end his reign. A child born as the seventh month ended, and his loyal Death Eaters provided the identities of two boys who fit the description: Nevil Longbottom and Harry Potter.

Voldemort determined to eliminate the threat as quickly as he could. He would murder both children to prevent either of them from rising against him. But as he cast the spell to finish the Potter brat, something went terribly wrong. His mother sacrificed herself to save her precious son from the Dark Lords wrath, and in so doing, provided the very protection the caused his killing curse to rebound onto him – completely destroying his body.

But all was well now, he had been restored to his body due to the horcruxes he had placed. Safely tucked away, they held the pieces of his soul keeping him safely on earth to be restored to a new body, allowing him to fulfill his desires.

His great and marvelous plan was nearly complete now. The ministry had fallen, he had established a system to eradicate the muggles completely, he was at the peak of power and his modifications to the Hogwarts teaching system would confirm that all future students would be taught the way they should have been from the beginning. __

Look at me Look at me  
Driving and I won't stop  
And it feels so good to be alive and on top  
My reach is global  
My tower secure  
My cause is noble  
My power is pure  
I can handout a million vaccinations  
Or let em all die from exasperations  
Have all healed from their last erasions  
Or have em all killed by assassinations  
I can make anybody go to prison  
Just because I don't like 'em  
I can do anything with no permission  
I have it all under my command because

But then the threat came back in full force. He'd received word that Harry Potter had reappeared and had infiltrated the wizard bank, making off with one of his horcruxes. How could he possibly have known about his horcruxes? One thing was clear, if his secret was known, then he would have to act with all haste. Harry Potter would have to be destroyed – by any means necessary.

And so he arrived at Hogwarts, issuing a challenge to Harry Potter to come out and fight him. His message sent, he retreated to the Shrieking Shack where he could direct his Death Eaters from a safe distance. With so few horcruxes remaining and the secret to his defeat known by his nemesis, his safety was paramount. __

I can guide a missile by satellite  
By satellite  
By satellite  
And I can hit a target through a telescope  
Through a telescope  
Through a telescope  


When the battle had raged for a time, Voldemort issued a compromise. The fighting would subside if Harry Potter came to the forbidden forest to face him one last time.

Harry Potter, in his foolish selflessness, came at his call to stop the violence and spare those he held dear from pain and death. He didn't even make so much as one move to save himself as Voldemort cast the killing curse at him.

Voldemort himself lead the victorious procession to the frightened survivors in the castle to show them that their would-be savior was defeated.

Then his worst fear was realized. Nevil Longbottom charged at him wielding the sword of Gryffindor which had been pulled from the depths of the sorting hat. With one swing, Naginni, his faithful pet serpent and final horcrux fell dead at his feet.

It was then that all Hell broke loose. Students, teachers and Death Eaters crashed together in one vast mass of violence, centaurs from the forest charged onto the scene, the house elves rose from the kitchens wielding cooking utensils against the Death Eaters and spells flew in every direction.

In the midst of the chaotic flurry, Harry Potter, who by some inconceivable means was still alive, appeared, issuing his own challenge to Voldemort, to end it all then and there.

_  
And I can end the planet in a holocaust  
In a holocaust  
In a holocaust  
In a holocaust  
In a holocaust_

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

"_Expelliarmus!_"_  
__In a holocaaauuuuust!_

And he fell. Harry Potters counter had struck his wand sending it flinging backward. And thus he lay, smitten by his own sword.

Tom Riddle gazed down at the corpse before him – his own corpse. All around him, students and teachers pranced about in celebration, drunken with joy at his demise.

As darkness clouded his vision, pulling him away to the eternal abyss, Tom couldn't help contemplating one thought: he had tasted absolute power... and it had corrupted him, absolutely. __

I can ride my bike with no handlebars  
No handlebars  
No handlebars  
I can ride my bike with no handlebars  
No handlebars  
No handlebars......

**A/N, Disclaimer:** I just wanna say that I realize that the lyrics don't exactly mesh with the story. For example, I know Voldemort is British and not American and he probably wouldn't know a bike if it ran over his feet, but the song is just supposed to give you an idea of the things going on, it's not supposed to be a literal interpretation of the story.

Tom Riddle (a.k.a. 'Voldemort') and all other characters are from Harry Potter, property of J.K. Rowling. The song 'Handlebars' belongs to Flobots. I claim ownership of nothing. 


End file.
